Church of St Joseph, Santa Venera

Church in Santa Venera, Malta
35°53′24.1″N 14°28′27.9″E / 35.890028°N 14.474417°E / 35.890028; 14.474417LocationSanta Venera, MaltaDenominationRoman CatholicReligious instituteMissionary Society of St PaulHistoryStatusChurchDedicationSaint JosephDedicated14 May 1916ArchitectureFunctional statusActiveSpecificationsMaterialsLimestoneAdministrationArchdioceseMaltaParishSanta Venera

The Church of Saint Joseph (Maltese: Knisja ta' San Ġużepp) is a Roman Catholic church in Santa Venera, Malta. It forms part of the St Joseph Institute which is run by the Missionary Society of St Paul.

History

The Church of St Joseph forms part of the St Joseph Institute, and it was built on a plot of land which was acquired from the government to construct the institute. It was dedicated on 14 May 1916. The institute and church are currently administered by the Missionary Society of St Paul (MSSP).[1]

Restoration works were carried out on the church's façade and bell tower by the Restoration Directorate between July 2019[2] and May 2020. The project was carried out under the direction of architect Jean Frendo at a cost of €59,000.[3]

Architecture

The church's façade in 2017

The church has a classical façade with two tiers, with the lower one being characterized by Ionic pilasters and containing the main doorway. The upper tier has Corinthian pilasters and it includes a central statue of St Joseph flanked by statues of guardian angels. A small bell tower is located at the rear of the building.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Santa Venera". Archdiocese of Malta. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020.
  2. ^ a b "St Joseph's Church in Santa Venera to be restored". The Malta Independent. 10 July 2019. Archived from the original on 11 July 2019.
  3. ^ "Press Release by the Ministry for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local Government: Restoration has been completed on the façade and bell tower of St. Joseph's Church in Santa Venera". Department of Information. 22 May 2020. Archived from the original on 10 October 2020.
  • Media related to St. Joseph Church (Santa Venera) at Wikimedia Commons